Tony Bennett (August 3rd, 1926 - July 21st, 2023) was an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He was also a painter, having created works under his birth name that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He was the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Bennett made his first Parade appearance in 1962, as he rode on the Cinderella float as "Prince Charming" with Miss Teenage America, Darla Banks.
He would make his second appearance at the 1985 Parade as he sang his signature song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".
For his third appearance at the 2001 Parade, he traveled down the route on the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" float and sang the popular theme of the beloved Christmas icon. His cover of Rudolph's theme actually originated from the soundtrack of the recently released home video Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys.
He would make his fourth Parade appearance on Hallmark's "Heartwarming Holiday Countdown" during the 2016 Parade. Although he was sick with Alzheimer's, Bennett performed the best he could. The performance he did was a duet with Muppet legend Miss Piggy with the Christmas tune of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". This would end up being his last performance at the Parade, due to his retirement in 2021, and his eventual death in 2023.